Consider this...

It's been several weeks since I've penned any musings, so let's get caught up shall we?

Hello all,How many stayed up late and watched the baseball game through it's entirety last night...this World Series is setting numerous milestones along the way. Our third grandson was born this last Tuesday, Daniel Tiberious...his big brother (4 yrs) says his name is Daniel Tiger, and naturally believes he was named after the PBS show. Additional contributors to my hiatus include my laptop croaked a couple of weeks ago; failed septic drain field creating secondary damage and failure - yes, you get the picture; WSU has lost their AD and UNL has gained an AD, the later trudging through another miserable season...although the Cougs suffered a setback in the desert, they remain bowl eligible and are having a good season.

Although it's nice to be missed, from the onset I said that if there's nothing pressing or urgent for you to be aware of as I don't want to fill your inbox with updates as we're already on information overload. There are some important items on the horizon and I want you to be made aware thereof...

11/14 - The deadline for reporting most recent year (2017) wheat production for your APH.

11/15 - Sales deadline for PRF (pasture, rangeland, forage) policy.

11/20 - Sales deadline for WFRP, late fiscal filers.

11/30 - The infamous ITS deadline, crop insurance ineligibility, for wheat. If premiums are not paid or other arrangements made, i.e. payment plan, you're ineligible for crop insurance benefits the following crop year.

12/15 - For those with the enhanced Winter Coverage Option, this is the deadline for reporting timely planted fall wheat acres for this endorsement to the MP policy. This is also the deadline for reporting your fall planted acres to your local FSA office.

Crop Insurance Changes - An organization called the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its Farm Bill priorities, which included proposals for “crop insurance modernization.” NSAC claimed that crop insurance has limited utility for certain types of farms, discourages sustainable farming practices, and precipitates farm consolidation through unlimited subsidies. Its Farm Bill platform called for proposals similar to those found in the AFFIRM Act, such as caps on the farmer premium subsidy, means testing, cuts to private sector delivery, and public disclosure of specific farmer and company information.

Federal Budget Finalized - In approving the Senate’s version of the fiscal year 2018 budget resolution this week, the House abandoned its proposed $10 billion in cuts for the Agriculture Committee, which will be helpful in the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. From a procedural standpoint, House and Senate adoption of identical budget language means that a conference committee is not required to resolve any differences; also of note, the president does not sign the budget resolution into law. This budget activity has been viewed primarily as providing the procedural path forward for tax reform.

Markets - The recent strength in the US dollar has created some headwinds for exports, recent totals for wheat still reflect export sales that remain ahead of USDA projections for the MYA. USDA will release their monthly update on production and supply demand next week.

Lastly, we've grown again and now have a presence in Umatilla county. We have combined with a long-time agency from Athena, All-Risk Crop Insurance, and now have presence in the the Athena, OR, area. We are excited to add all to the McGregor Risk Management family!

Until next time..."How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?" ~Satchel Paige